Puzzles are all of the rage with my preschooler right now! She loves apps that have puzzles, good old chunky puzzles, and she has moved up to putting 24 piece puzzles together as well. I realized a few days ago we needed to switch things up, as she has been completing her familiar options in record time.

Being a crafty mom, instead of dashing out to the store to grab a few more for her collection, I turned to my craft supplies and created a few easy peasy puzzles that have kept her happily learning!

Puzzles are an awesome activity for little ones! Not only are they learning to solve problems, but also they are developing cognitive skills and hand-eye coordination. The benefits of puzzle building don't stop there. Kids also improve self-esteem and social skills by working out a few puzzles!

With so many benefits to encouraging puzzle play and so many easy puzzles you can DIY, you are going to want to create a few of these incredibly easy and fun ideas!

Upcycled Cereal Box Puzzles

If you have a cereal box and a pair of scissors, you can make one of the easiest puzzles ever. Really, any box with a picture on it will adequately work. Cut a box into large pieces, hand it to your toddler and let them reassemble the picture.

Greeting Card Puzzles

Any greeting card can become a puzzle! Glue it onto a sturdy cardboard or paper surface and cut it up! Not only does this give toddlers and preschoolers a fun puzzle to recreate, it reuses a material that is likely headed to the trash.

Photo Puzzles

Glue craft sticks to the back of a photo. Cut between the craft sticks and hand them over to the kids! They will love assembling pictures of people or places they know and love! Make sure an adult does the cutting, as you are going to need a sharp blade, like a utility or Exacto knife.

Paint Chip Puzzles

If you have been shopping for new paint, do not throw those samples away! Draw a simple picture with a permanent marker, then make a few cuts! These are great puzzles to keep in your purse or diaper bag for when the kids are growing restless on the go.

The added bonus of each of these ideas is that there is no stress if a piece of the puzzle is lost. You can simply make a new puzzle! Have you ever made DIY toys with your children? If you have ideas for homemade puzzles, we would love to hear about it in a comment!